scholarly journals Effects of Different Stroking Styles on Behaviour and Cardiac Parameters in Heifers

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Lange ◽  
Sandra Franzmayr ◽  
Vera Wisenöcker ◽  
Andreas Futschik ◽  
Susanne Waiblinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Mean Heart Rate

Gentle animal–human interactions, such as stroking, can promote positive emotions and thus welfare in cattle. While previous studies showed that stroking at the ventral neck elicited the most positive reactions in cows, intra-specific allogrooming in cattle includes different body regions and is probably guided partly by the receiver. Thus, we compared heifers’ (n = 28) reactions to stroking with the experimenter either reactively responding to perceived momentary preferences of the heifers or exclusively stroking the ventral neck. Independently of the stroking style, longer durations of neck stretching and contact occurred during stroking, supporting our hypothesis of a positive perception of stroking. We did not confirm the predicted decrease in heart rate and increase in heart rate variability, but instead found a slightly increased mean heart rate during stroking. The different stroking styles elicited differences in the heifers’ ear positions: “reactive” stroking led to longer durations of low ear positions during stroking, while during “ventral neck” stroking, the duration of back up increased. However, no other behaviours differed significantly between different stroking styles, indicating that the exact manner of stroking applied in our treatments seemed to be less important in the promotion of positive affective states in cattle through gentle human–animal interactions.

Heart Rate Variability, Homeostasis, and Brain Function

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Riganello ◽  
Sergio Garbarino ◽  
Walter G. Sannita
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Vegetative State ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Cardiovascular Research ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Brain Injured

Measures of heart rate variability (HRV) are major indices of the sympathovagal balance in cardiovascular research. These measures are thought to reflect complex patterns of brain activation as well and HRV is now emerging as a descriptor thought to provide information on the nervous system organization of homeostatic responses in accordance with the situational requirements. Current models of integration equate HRV to the affective states as parallel outputs of the central autonomic network, with HRV reflecting its organization of affective, physiological, “cognitive,” and behavioral elements into a homeostatic response. Clinical application is in the study of patients with psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injury, impaired emotion-specific processing, personality, and communication disorders. HRV responses to highly emotional sensory inputs have been identified in subjects in vegetative state and in healthy or brain injured subjects processing complex sensory stimuli. In this respect, HRV measurements can provide additional information on the brain functional setup in the severely brain damaged and would provide researchers with a suitable approach in the absence of conscious behavior or whenever complex experimental conditions and data collection are impracticable, as it is the case, for example, in intensive care units.

scholarly journals A Pragmatic Controlled Trial of Forest Bathing Compared with Compassionate Mind Training in the UK: Impacts on Self-Reported Wellbeing and Heart Rate Variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1380
Author(s):  
Kirsten McEwan ◽  
David Giles ◽  
Fiona J. Clarke ◽  
Yasu Kotera ◽  
Gary Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Increase Heart Rate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Forest Bathing ◽  
Mind Training

Forest Bathing, where individuals use mindfulness to engage with nature, has been reported to increase heart rate variability and benefit wellbeing. To date, most Forest Bathing studies have been conducted in Asia. Accordingly, this paper reports the first pragmatic controlled trial of Forest Bathing in the United Kingdom, comparing Forest Bathing with a control comprising an established wellbeing intervention also known to increase heart rate variability called Compassionate Mind Training. Sixty-one university staff and students (50 females, 11 males) were allocated to (i) Forest Bathing, (ii) Compassionate Mind Training or (iii) Forest Bathing combined with Compassionate Mind Training. Wellbeing and heart rate variability were measured at baseline, post-intervention and three-months follow-up. There were improvements in positive emotions, mood disturbance, rumination, nature connection and compassion and 57% of participants showed an increase in heart rate variability. There were no significant differences between conditions, showing that Forest Bathing had equivalence with an established wellbeing intervention. The findings will help healthcare providers and policy makers to understand the effects of Forest Bathing and implement it as a feasible social prescription to improve wellbeing. Future research needs to involve clinical populations and to assess the effects of Forest Bathing in a fully powered randomised controlled trial.

scholarly journals Inside the Interaction: Contact With Familiar Humans Modulates Heart Rate Variability in Horses

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Scopa ◽  
Alberto Greco ◽  
Laura Contalbrigo ◽  
Elisabetta Fratini ◽  
Antonio Lanatà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Sympathovagal Balance ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Objective Evidence ◽  
Human Animal

A human–animal relationship can be developed through subsequent interactions, affected by the positive or negative emotional valence of the proceeding one. Horses implement a process of categorization to classify humans with whom they interact as positive, negative, or neutral stimuli by evaluating the kind of approach and the nature of the contact. In these terms, human–animal interactions are emotionally charged events, eliciting specific emotional states in both subjects involved. Although the human–horse relationship has been mainly investigated through behavioral analysis, physiological indicators are needed for a more objective assessment of the emotional responses. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a commonly used autonomic nervous system (ANS) correlate estimating the sympathovagal balance as a psychophysiological marker of emotion regulation in horses. We have assumed that long-term positive relationships with humans may have a positive and immediate impact on the emotional arousal of the horse, detectable, via ANS activity, during the interaction. We analyzed horses' heartbeat dynamics during their interaction with either familiar or unfamiliar handlers, applying a standardized experimental protocol consisting of three different conditions shifting from the absence of interaction to physical contact. The ANS signals were monitored through an innovative non-invasive wearable system, not interfering with the unconscious emotional response of the animal. We demonstrated that horses appeared to feel more relaxed while physically interacting (e.g., grooming on the right side) with some familiar handlers compared to the same task performed by someone unfamiliar. The shift of the sympathovagal balance toward a vagal predominance suggests that the horses experienced a decrease in stress response as a function not only of the handler's familiarity but also of the type of interaction they are experiencing. These results constitute the objective evidence of horses' capacity to individually recognize a familiar person, adding the crucial role of familiarity with the handler as a paramount component of human–animal interaction. Our rigorous methodological approach may provide a significant contribution to various fields such as animal welfare while further investigating the emotional side of the human–animal relationships.

scholarly journals Mean Heart Rate Level Does Not Affect All Heart Rate Variability Indices

Hypertension ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Eduardo Virgilio Silva ◽  
Helio Cesar Salgado ◽  
Rubens Fazan
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Rate Level ◽  
Heart Rate Level ◽  
Mean Heart Rate

Effect of age on mean heart rate and heart rate variability

AGE ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 146-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Cinelli ◽  
Vittorio de Leonardis ◽  
Maurizo De Scalzi ◽  
Aureliano Becucci ◽  
Marco Grazzini
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Mean Heart Rate

Heart Rate Variability during wake and sleep in Huntington’s Disease patients. An observational, cross-sectional, cohort study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Marotta ◽  
Carla Piano ◽  
VALERIO BRUNETTI ◽  
Danilo Genovese ◽  
Anna Rita Bentivoglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mean Heart Rate

Introduction Autonomic dysfunction has been reported as one of non-motor manifestations of both pre-symptomatic and manifest Huntington’s Disease (HD). The aim of our study was to evaluate heart rate variability (HRV) during wake and sleep in a cohort of patients with manifest HD. Methods Thirty consecutive patients with manifest HD were enrolled, 14 men and 16 women, mean age 57.3±12.2 years. All patients underwent full-night attended video-polysomnography. HRV was analyzed during wake, NREM and REM sleep, in time and frequency domain. Results were compared with a control group of healthy volunteers matched for age and sex. Results During wake HD patients presented significantly higher mean heart rate than controls (72.4±9.6 vs 58.1±7.3 bpm; p<0.001). During NREM sleep, HD patients showed higher mean heart rate (65.6±11.1 vs 48.8±4.6 bpm; p<0.001) and greater Low Frequency (LF) component of HRV (52.9±22.6 vs 35.5±17.3 n.u.; p=0.004). During REM sleep, we observed lower standard deviation of the R-R interval (SDNN) in HD subjects (3.4±2.2 vs 3.7±1.3 ms; p=0.015). Conclusion Our results showed that HD patients have higher heart rate than controls, during wake and NREM, but not during REM sleep. Among HRV variability parameters, the most relevant difference regarded the LF component, which reflects, at least partially, the ortho-sympathetic output. Our results confirm the involvement of autonomic nervous system in HD and demonstrate that it is evident during both wake and sleep.

Integrating Mindfulness and Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Therapies to Foster Courage, Confidence, and Resilience

Biofeedback ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-29
Author(s):  
Leah M. Lagos
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
Somatic Awareness ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback ◽  
Training Approach

Field studies and laboratory research have documented that resilient individuals employ positive emotions to reduce their physiological arousal and bounce back from negative experiences. In the present article, we present a protocol for integrating mindfulness and heart rate variability biofeedback to increase an individual's ability to identify as well as access resonance-producing emotions, increase low frequency heart rhythms, and improve cardiovascular recovery from stressful situations. The proposed training approach introduces mindfulness-based strategies to help individuals amplify their abilities to flexibly alter affective as well as physiological responses and match the demands of frequently changing environmental stressors. Participants will learn to develop somatic awareness, connect to physiological experiences, and train the heart to access courage and confidence on demand.

scholarly journals A Hybrid Signal Processing of RR Intervals from QTc Variation Searching Arrhythmia and Improving Heart Rate Variability Assessment in Acute Large Artery Ischemic Stroke

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
S. Rangsungnoen ◽  
P. Chanbenjapipu ◽  
N. Mathuradavong ◽  
K. Suwanprasert
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Signal Processing ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Sample Entropy ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Large Artery ◽  
Qrs Detection ◽  
Poincaré Plot ◽  
Mean Heart Rate

Sudden death caused by abnormal QTc and atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported in stroke. Heart rate variability (HRV) is reduced with missing beats of RRI during arrhythmic episode and abnormal QTc variation during acute stroke. In this study, we develop a hybrid signal processing by Pan Tompkins QRS detection and Kalman filter estimator for meaningful missing beats and searching AF with prolonged QTc. We use this hybrid model to investigate RRIs of Lead II ECG in thirty acute stroke patients with long QTc and AF (LQTc-AF) and normal QTc without AF (NQTc-nonAF) and then assess them by HRV. In LQTc-AF Kalman, higher mean heart rate with lower mean RRIs compared to NQTc-nonAF Kalman was characterized. LQTc-AF Kalman showed significant increase in SDNN, HF, SD2, SD2/SD1, and sample entropy. SDNN and HF associated with high RMSSD, pNN50, and SD1 reflect predominant parasympathetic drive for sympathovagal balance in LQTc-AF Kalman. Greater SD2, SD2/SD1, and sample entropy indicate more scatter of Poincaré plot. Compared with conventional Labchart, fractal scaling exponent of α1 (DFA) is higher in LQTc-AF Kalman. Remarkable complexity with parasympathetic drive in LQTc-AF Kalman suggests an influence of missing beats during stroke.

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